PCIe USB 3.0 host card

[Scroobius]

With the PCIe USB3.0, I found Scheme 1 (thanks Nick) and SFS=470 sounds good. Right now, my preference is with the PCIe USB3.0. That clarity is just addictive.

Interesting - I just thought I would try Scheme 1 using my mobo USB3 and it just does not sound right. I have a PCIe USB3 card winging its way to me now so it will be interesting to try it again when it is installed and working. I shall report back findings.

Thanks to Nick "The TweekMeister" for his USB3 observations.

All the best

Paul

[Scroobius]

Hello Fellow obsessives 

PCIe USB3 card arrived today and quickly installed. OK OK I did read what Mani said about his driver problem but that was not going to happen to me was it?. Wrong - after I installed the new drivers and plugging in NOS1 yes you've guessed it - BSOD. Great!!!. Anyway after a quick roll back to the older drivers that were already installed everything works fine.

And the sound quality?. Well I would say that it is indeed better with the PCIe USB3 -clearer & sharper etched. But the interesting thing is this. Always before - Scheme 3 has been the best option (in this system). Scheme 1 just did not sound right with mobo USB3.

All that has changed and with PCIe UBS3 Scheme 1 sounds better.

Tweekers paradise !!!!

All the best

Paul

[Nick]

Hello Fellow obsessives 

And the sound quality?. Well I would say that it is indeed better with the PCIe USB3 -clearer & sharper etched. But the interesting thing is this. Always before - Scheme 3 has been the best option (in this system). Scheme 1 just did not sound right with mobo USB3.

All that has changed and with PCIe UBS3 Scheme 1 sounds better.

Tweekers paradise !!!!

Paul hi,

So pleased that you have had a good experience with the PCIe card. Boy the detail level is something particularly with scheme 1 ! I hope your system has reached new hights of sound and comfort this week 

Don't stay up too late 

Best,

Nick.

[arvind]

Hi Peter,



Finally got down to trying out USB 3.0. I have the cable & adapter, but the problem I am facing is frequent dropout, every 20 secs or so. I checked in Task Manager & these dropouts don't coincide with the SFS peak load of the CPU. What could be the possible reason & solution?



I am using the Gigabyte mobo USB 3.0 port. I have not been able to disable the USB 2.0 ports through BIOS since it does not have provision for disabling 2.0 only, I end up disabling 3.0 also. The external HDD, containing music files, is also connected to the USB 3.0 port.



Best regards,



Arvind

[PeterSt]

The external HDD, containing music files, is also connected to the USB 3.0 port.

Hi Arvind,

"The" USB3 port ? or "the other" USB3 port ... ?

Is this in Minimized OS mode (and Unattended) ?

How long does the dropout last ?
If you halve the Sample Rate (in XXHighEnd), do the dropouts stay away twice as long ?

I myself never experienced such a thing, but maybe others have encountered something like this ?

[CoenP]

I experienced this dropout problem. Very annoying.

I reebooted several times to make shure the -latest- driver is properly installed. I guess you also have the nec/renesas usb chip; the usb3 control panel that can be found in the start-programs area provides a checkbox to enable/disable the powersaving features. This should be off.

I did and undid a lot of stuff to solve this problem, but the combination of a recent driver and the powersaving off did the trick best. Second best was increasing the minimum cpu load% in the powersavings area of the control panel. This is not neccesary anymore.
Fyi I downloaded the latest driver from the Intel site (not the gigabyte one). Check your version of the usb driverchip first!

I guess it is the NEC/Renesas chip because the Etron doesn't seem to work at all (complaints all over the place, Google for it). In this case you better buy a pcie card with NEC/Renesas chip.

Regards, Coen

[arvind]

Hi Coen,

You were absolutely right, I had the old version of the NEC/Renesas driver. With the updated driver the dropouts have stopped.

Thanks a lot.

Arvind

[juanpmar]

With the PCI Nec USB 3.0 card I get the best sound ever (so far  ) . Clearly better than using the mb USB 3.0. The computer is working flawlessly. I installed the card using the driver recommended for Nick (thanks again Nick).

My PCIe card is the same as the Mani one and I connect it with the molex to the power supply (I haven´t tried it without that connection but it sounds so good that I don´t feel like to try it): http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004S0Y9FK/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details

The driver is this one: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Other-DRIVERS-TOOLS/MSI/MSI-990FXA-GD65-Renesas-USB-3-0-Driver-20340.shtml

I turned off the USB 2.0 and Legacy in the bios.

All my setting remains the same as can be seen in my signature, including SFS.


Best regards,
Juan

[Nick]

With the PCI Nec USB 3.0 card I get the best sound ever (so far  ) . Clearly better than using the mb USB 3.0. The computer is working flawlessly. I installed the card using the driver recommended for Nick (thanks again Nick).

My PCIe card is the same as the Mani one and I connect it with the molex to the power supply (I haven´t tried it without that connection but it sounds so good that I don´t feel like to try it): http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004S0Y9FK/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details

The driver is this one: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Other-DRIVERS-TOOLS/MSI/MSI-990FXA-GD65-Renesas-USB-3-0-Driver-20340.shtml

I turned off the USB 2.0 and Legacy in the bios.

All my setting remains the same as can be seen in my signature, including SFS.


Best regards,
Juan

Juan,

Good to hear that the card works so well. I think there is a definite evidence now that this particular card / chipset tends to out perform some motherboard USB3 ports which is good for us all to know.

Have a go with processor scheme 1 (you are showing Scheme 3 in your signature), the detail level is crazy :-) but it still manages to sound right.

Best Nick.

[juanpmar]

Hi Nick,

Just a quick try with the Scheme 1 give me a sense of sharpness but I loose a little of the beautiful smoothness of the scheme 3 that on the other hand is also very, very detailed. Also the voice seems more "human" or "real" with the scheme 3. I need more time to verify it though.

Best regards,
Juan

[listening]

Hi Nick, hi Juan,

actually I'm switching from Juli to USB transport. I ordered the same card as Nick and I am using the same driver and disabled the Mobo USB 2. The chain is: USB 3.0, standard USB 2.0 cable as used in recording studios, USB 2.0 Hub (cut the 5 V and replaced by battery), pluging Hiface via male-male adapter directly into the battery powered DAC. It's a remarkable evolution in musical details.

Georg

[Nick]

Juan hi,

Interesting findings for Scheme 1, I think Mani has a very high end PC as well now and also mentioned a slight sharpness using scheme 1. I will soon be able to test on a new 12 core PC myself, the parts for my demi monster PC build have started to arrive today .

Listening,

A lot of posts have been from NOS1 users so it’s good to know that the HiFace also benefits. I will be helping a friend build a setup based around a HiFace very soon so I will spec a USB card for his PC, thanks.

Regards,

[juanpmar]

I´ve been the last few days listening both configurations, the one with all the cores working at the same time, including the virtual ones (12 cores), and the other one with just the "real" 6 cores and the other 6 working when needed. At the end I can´t reach a definitive conclusion. Both ways sound very well. I think that there are differences though. It seems to me that working with all the cores at the same time gives a more clear sound but sometimes it looks kind of metallic, I use this expression with some prevention because I´m not sure if I make justice to the sound using that word, as I said it sounds really well. The bass seems to be in the dry side and the smoothness is a little on the cool side.
On the other hand the sound with just the 6 cores plus the other 6 when needed seems to be smoother and detailed at the same time, bigger bass and sound-stage but a little blurred in comparison with the other way (again to be fair I use also this word with some prevention).
So which way I prefer, I don´t know, maybe I feel more comfortable with the 6 cores way, but it could be because I´m more used to it. Further tests should be made and maybe changing also SFS and other settings in the "all cores" way. But Nick, I leave it to you because you are the recognized master of tweaking and fine tuning XX. 
Btw, yes we must give Gonzalito the kudos for being the first one to bring this issue here.
Also thank you for your kind words about helping you to build your great Pc.

Best regards,
Juan

[Nick]

Juan hi,

I have my system back up now and have been having a go at tunning the recently built pc. At the moment I have all cores unparked, I will try both configs as well.

After a couple of days playing around the sound is really great. I'll post a few notes on what has worked. I'v not done anything new, mainly stuff that we have come across before but boy the ASUS X79 / 3930 CPU really, really responds 

This SoTM card looks interesting, seems like it may not be available yet but could be a useful upgrade.
 
http://www.sotm-audio.com/products7.php

Nick.

[juanpmar]

Hi Nick,

I'd like to try that USB card whenever it is available.
It seems that we are waiting to many interesting things these days as the highly-anticipated 0.9z-7 and the changes it could bring us.
Let us know your findings with your new pc.

Best regards,
Juan